Experience the magic of a Canadian Christmas. Your Christmas tree might just come from here!

Many long for a white Christmas full of snow, lights, and other decorations.

A Canadian Christmas is precisely that.

What does the Christmas Eve menu look like?

What is “mummering”?

You will learn more about how Christmas is celebrated in Canada in the following lines.

When is Christmas celebrated in Canada?

In Canada, the holiday season brings with it a sense of warmth and togetherness.

The festivities begin on December 25, which is celebrated as Christmas Day throughout the country. On this day, families gather to exchange gifts, share meals, and spend quality time together. It’s a time to relax, unwind, and appreciate the joys of life with loved ones.

Apart from Christmas Day, December 26 is also a public holiday in Canada, known as Boxing Day. This day is marked by big sales and shopping events across the country, with retailers offering attractive discounts to shoppers.

One of the unique features of the Canadian holiday season is the use of the phrase “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas”. This is because the holiday season encompasses several celebrations, including New Year’s Day and Hanukkah, which is widely celebrated in cities like Toronto and Montreal that have a large Jewish population.

During the holiday season, Canadians indulge in a range of activities to make the most of their time off. While some prefer to stay indoors and enjoy classic Christmas movies or board games, others take advantage of the snowy weather to engage in outdoor activities like skating, cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, or sledding.

All in all, the holiday season in Canada is a time of celebration, relaxation, and togetherness. It’s an opportunity to let go of stress, bond with loved ones, and create cherished memories that last a lifetime.

Do you know Canadian Christmas traditions?

Canada is home to people whose ancestors came here from many different backgrounds. As a result, Canadian Christmas traditions are a unique blend of other traditions from around the world, primarily French, English, Irish, and Ukrainian.

Some provinces and territories have their unique traditions despite their similar ethnicity. In Newfoundland, they have a tradition called “mummering,” which is common in small towns and villages. People dress up in costumes, sing, dance, and go from house to house in the town. Once the hosts guess who the mummer is, they remove their masks and receive Christmas cookies and hot drinks.

There is also a tradition in Nova Scotia called “belsnickeling“, where people dress up in funny Santa Claus costumes and go door to door until the neighbors guess who is hiding in the costume. Again, this is more common in small towns.

Christmas traditions in Quebec are a mixture of traditions brought from France and adapted to British and American influences. Christmas markets pop up all over Québec in late November and early December.

A popular activity on Christmas Day is an evening ride on a horse-drawn sleigh and attending midnight mass. It should be followed by the réveillon or midnight meal. Today, this dish is served more before mass or as lunch on the Christmas feast.

A large part of Canadian Christmas traditions are popular activities and performances that return year after year. The most anticipated performance is the Nutcracker ballet presented by Les Grands Ballets Canadiens at the Place des Arts in Montreal.

At the end of the Christmas season, La Fêtes des Rois is celebrated in the province of Quebec on January 6, the Feast of the Three Kings. A cake is baked and beans are placed in its center. According to tradition, whoever discovers the bean becomes king or queen.

What are the Canadian Christmas symbols?

Many people decorate their homes with Christmas decorations, both inside and outside. Indoor Christmas trees can be live or artificial. It is said that the Christmas tree was first brought to Canada in 1781 by German immigrant Baron Friederick von Riedesel.

By the way, there are more than two thousand Christmas tree farms in Canada, most of them in Quebec. Every year, the country produces up to 6 million Christmas trees, approximately half of which are sent to countries worldwide.

Nova Scotia is nationally famous for its beautiful fir and pine Christmas trees. Each year, the province selects the biggest and best fir and sends them to Boston, Massachusetts. This tradition is held annually to thank and commemorate Boston’s assistance to Canada during the 1917 Halifax Explosion.

Canadian Christmas decorations are traditionally silver, white, and blue, but in recent years, you can find decorations in many other colors as well. A wreath on the front door is also typical for Christmas in Canada. In addition to the tree, mistletoe, holly, and poinsettia are also frequent decorations.

Who brings the presents to the children?

Traditionally, Canadian children believe that Santa Claus brings them presents on the night between December 24 and 25 and then unwraps them the following morning. However, due to Canada’s cultural diversity, you may find families unwrapping gifts as early as Christmas Eve or unwrapping one gift on Christmas Eve and the rest on the morning of December 25th.

Santa Claus leaves smaller gifts in stockings hung by the fireplace or on the bed and larger ones under the Christmas tree. On Christmas Eve, on Christmas morning, gifts are usually unwrapped in pajamas while listening to Christmas songs and carols.

In addition to Santa Claus, children refer to the figure who brings them presents as St. Nick, Kris Kringle, or Père Noël.

What is eaten in Canada at Christmas?

Like all foods in Canada, Christmas food varies across the country and among different ethnicities. A standard Christmas menu is similar to Thanksgiving and usually consists of a roasted stuffed turkey or turkey, Brussels sprouts and other vegetables, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, and various desserts.

Tourtière, a French-Canadian dish that takes the form of a “cake” of ground pork and potatoes, is also often found on the Christmas table, baked in a lard batter. In southwestern Nova Scotia, many families eat lobster on Christmas Day.

Canadian Christmas is generally a season of sweets, including cookies, gingerbread, and butter cookies. Among the popular sweets are, for example, butter cakes, with a delicious filling of butter, sugar, and eggs, which is baked in a dough body.

The Yule Log is a popular sweet dish known in Québec; it is a sweet sponge cake that looks like a log.

Trifle, which originally comes from England, is also a popular dessert. It is prepared in a large bowl and consists of a layer of sponge cake or sponges, often dipped in sherry or brandy, followed by a layer of fruit and topped with a layer of custard and whipped cream.

The most popular drinks on Canadian holidays include cider, eggnog, and mulled alcoholic drinks with the addition of citrus and spices.

What places to visit in Canada at Christmas?

Christmas in Canada is associated with special Christmas parades in many cities. In addition, the cities are beautifully lit and decorated, which, combined with the snow cover, creates a truly fairy-tale Christmas.

• Toronto – Toronto’s Santa Claus Parade holds the record for the longest-running children’s parade. In addition to Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus, you will also find clowns and Christmas allegorical wagons in the parade. From late November to the first week of January, Toronto hosts its annual Cavalcade of Lights, which includes light shows, ice skating, a Christmas market, fireworks, and musical performances.

• Niagara Falls – is one of the most popular places to visit any time of the year. The iconic waterfall is a great destination, even during the Christmas holidays. Fireworks are held here, which spectacularly light up the falls. It’s also home to the annual Winter Festival of Lights, Canada’s largest free outdoor light festival.

Winter Festival of Lights

• Vancouver – The city attracts thousands to the Rogers Santa Claus Parade annually. From the end of November to the beginning of January, the 15-hectare Van Dusen Botanical Garden hosts the Festival of Lights, which offers light shows, a conservatory, and festive treats.

• Montreal – this city also hosts many festive events in its historic center, for example the Santa Claus parade, known as the Défilé du Père Noël, has opened the season every year since 1925. One of the most popular winter events in the city is Luminothérapie, which takes place throughout the holidays until March. It is a competition where local artists exhibit interactive public art installations and video projections.